Understanding the benchmarking graphs

Benchmarking allows you to compare your feather loss scores to those of your peers.

There are four graphs on the AssureWel Benchmarking Tool focusing on two areas of feather loss: the head/neck and the back/vent. For each of the areas, there is a graph showing the percentage of birds with any feather loss (Score 1&2) and another showing moderate/severe feather loss (Score 2). The data used to generate the graphs is collected on Freedom Food and Soil Association farms during welfare outcome assessments. All graphs are updated annually.

Each graph is split into 3 sections:

RED (bottom 25% of flocks), AMBER (middle 50% of flocks) and GREEN (best 25% of flocks). The thresholds for the different colours are based on pooled data from Freedom Food and Soil Association laying hen farms.

What colour your score falls into can help determine what action you should take:

RED: Immediate action may be required to find the cause of the problem and put strategies in place to improve feather cover